Egypt’s Nuclear Power Plants Authority (NPPA) announced on Saturday, September 26, 2026, a new milestone at the El Dabaa Nuclear Power Plant, with work teams successfully installing the lower plate of the reactor pit for the plant’s third nuclear unit. The authority said its teams, overseeing and inspecting construction work in coordination with the Russian general contractor Atomstroyexport, completed the installation of the lower plate at Unit 3.
The component is one of the key elements in the reactor pit of Russia’s third-generation-plus VVER-1200 pressurized water reactors. “It’s installation follows completion of the dry shielding installation on August 28, 2026, and represents one of the final installation steps ahead of placing the reactor pressure vessel in its designated position,” the authority said.
The lower reactor pit plate is a precisely manufactured cylindrical steel component produced under stringent manufacturing requirements. It weighs about 13.85 tons, has a diameter of 5,465 mm and a length of 3,820 mm. It is engineered to correspond with the inner diameter of the dry shielding, which measures 5,650 mm, allowing it to be installed with precisely calculated clearances.
The lower plate serves as a connecting element between the reactor pit structures and the reactor pressure vessel, ensuring the precise alignment of the vessel along its vertical axis. It also plays a key role in completing the reactor pit assembly. The installation follows a carefully sequenced process.
Before the lower plate is installed, the reactor core catcher is fitted, concrete is poured into the support and anchoring structures, and the dry shielding and cylindrical thermal insulation of the vessel are installed. The support ring, which bears most of the vessel’s weight, is then installed.
The installation of the lower reactor pit plate paves the way for the next major milestone; installation of the reactor pressure vessel for Unit 3. The reactor pressure vessel is about 13 meters long, 4.5 meters in diameter, and weighs 320 tons. Egypt, Greece launch Medusa-15 military drill with France, Italy, Cyprus Egypt, Greece launch Medusa-15 military drill with France, Italy, Cyprus